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Verdict: A tender, well-researched college basketball slow burn set in the first year of COVID, and one of the higher-rated basketball romances we have reviewed. Readers praise the game writing and the sweet, supportive couple; a few found the pandemic detail or play-by-play too much.
Best for: Readers who love women’s college basketball and a gentle friends-to-lovers slow burn.
Heat level: Not a focus for readers — this is a slow burn
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.0/5 — a 4.38 Goodreads average across 441 ratings, 3.85 on StoryGraph from 48 reviews, and 4.6 stars across 412 Amazon ratings)
Tropes: Teammates, friends to lovers, slow burn, secret crush, long distance, pandemic romance.
Making It Count is Nicole Pyland’s 2024 contemporary lesbian romance, book five of her Sports series, which is linked by theme rather than characters. Shay Amos is Dunbar University’s star player with WNBA dreams; Layne Stoll is a walk-on who has had a crush on her for four years.
It holds a 4.38 average across 441 Goodreads ratings, with 86% of them four or five stars, 3.85 on StoryGraph from 48 reviews, and 4.6 stars across 412 Amazon ratings.
What Is Making It Count About?
Shay chose a small school to be its best player, and her team is about to reach its first NCAA tournament when COVID-19 cancels it. Her dream suddenly feels out of her control.
Layne went to Dunbar for the scholarship, not a pro career. When lockdown hits, she finally gets to know Shay — and the two commit to one more year together to take the team back to the tournament, falling in love along the way.
What Works in This Romance
- Basketball: Fans call the games exciting and easy to follow, with one reader on edge waiting for results.
- The couple: Readers love how different Shay and Layne are and how protective they become of each other.
- Pandemic realism: Several readers say it captures the fear and isolation of 2020 without being overwhelming.
- Research: Readers repeatedly praise Pyland’s attention to detail.
Book Synopsis
A cancelled tournament, a campus lockdown and one last season bring two very different teammates together.
Getting to know each other at a distance becomes a love story neither expected.
My Review
Readers describe a sweet, supportive and occasionally angsty romance whose lockdown setting gives it an unusual, slower rhythm — the pair get to know each other without the pressure of being close. Several readers welcomed the return of the Sports series.
The minority view is that the details overwhelm the story: one reader found the basketball and lockdown procedures too specific, another almost quit because the pandemic plot felt over the top, and a third didn’t buy a late career-versus-love conflict or the HEA.
My honest note: If reading about 2020 is still raw, weigh that first.
| Element | In Making It Count |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Shay Amos, a WNBA hopeful, & Layne Stoll, a walk-on teammate |
| Core tropes | Teammates, friends to lovers, slow burn, secret crush |
| Setting | Dunbar University women’s basketball, 2020–21 |
| Heat level | Not a focus |
| Length | 327 pages (Kindle listing) |
| Series | Sports #5 — standalone |
| Content notes | The COVID-19 pandemic |
How Spicy Is Making It Count?
Readers barely mention heat; the emphasis is on the slow build between the two women.
StoryGraph users flag the pandemic setting as the main content consideration.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you want college basketball and a gentle slow burn. It is on our sapphic sports romance list.
You may want to skip it if: you’d rather not revisit the pandemic.
In short: Love and basketball in lockdown.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)
On Goodreads the split is 54% five stars, 32% four, 10% three, 3% two and no one-star ratings. On StoryGraph, 85% tagged it emotional, and every reader who answered found the characters loveable.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): The basketball first. Second, the couple. Third, the pandemic realism. Fourth, the slow burn.
What readers argue about and complain about: Too much COVID, above everything. Second, too much play-by-play. Third, a late conflict.
The comparison worth making first: Finding a Keeper, the previous Sports series book.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Making It Count set during the pandemic?
Yes. The author notes the characters are living through the first year of COVID-19; the cancelled 2020 NCAA tournament and lockdown shape the story.
Do I need to read the rest of the Sports series?
No. The series is linked by theme, not characters, so each book stands alone.
Is Making It Count a slow burn?
Yes. Readers describe a friends-to-lovers slow burn, much of it conducted at a distance during lockdown.
Does it have a happy ending?
Yes. Readers confirm an HEA, though one didn’t find it convincing.
Is Making It Count on Kindle Unlimited?
Yes, at the time of writing it was available through Kindle Unlimited.
If You Loved Making It Count, Read These Next
Try Spin Serve, the final Sports series book, or browse our sapphic sports romance list and the full Book Reviews archive.
The Bottom Line
Making It Count sets out to tell a love story through a season that almost didn’t happen, and it succeeds warmly. What holds it back, for some, is how much pandemic it asks you to relive. Recommended. Check Making It Count on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, Making It Count ranks as a strong sports romance — tender, detailed.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★★☆ 4/5
- ✓ 4.38 average across 441 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 86% of Goodreads ratings are four or five stars
- ✓ 3.85 on StoryGraph from 48 reviews
- ✓ 4.6 stars across 412 Amazon ratings
Romance ★★★★☆ 4/5
- ✓ Slow burn
- ✓ Protective couple
- ✓ Long distance
- ✓ Late conflict
Characters ★★★★☆ 4.1/5
- ✓ 100% loveable characters
- ✓ Beloved Layne
- ✓ Driven Shay
- ✓ Supportive
Writing ★★★★☆ 3.9/5
- ✓ Exciting games
- ✓ Well researched
- ✓ Heavy detail for some
- ✓ Easy to follow
Emotional Impact ★★★★☆ 3.9/5
- ✓ Tagged emotional by 85%
- ✓ Pandemic isolation
- ✓ Tears for some
- ✓ Too much COVID for one
Heat Level ★★☆☆☆ 2/5
- ✓ Not a focus
- ✓ Slow burn
- ✓ Emotional intimacy
- ✓ Low mention
Ending ★★★★☆ 3.8/5
- ✓ HEA
- ✓ Tournament arc
- ✓ Unconvincing for one
- ✓ Standalone
Re-read Value ★★★★☆ 3.8/5
- ✓ Kindle Unlimited
- ✓ Standalone
- ✓ 327 pages
- ✓ Series favourite for some
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